Because it's Fall - or late-summer and will it ever really be fall here in Dallas? - we're enjoying anything that makes us think of the season.

These are Tammy's Blockhead Blocks No. 1 through 28.  She's using a big mix of scraps and pieces in fall colors.  As an Indiana girl, she knows of such things.

Juneau!  Alaska.  Is there a fall season in Juneau?  (Enquiring minds want to know.)  Block 29 from Lisa Bongean.  (You knew that from all the tiny pieces, didn't you?)

Tammy's block is made with fabrics from Songbird Gatherings by Lisa Bongean for Primitive Gatherings and the backgrounds are from Betsy Chutchian's Rachel Remembered collection.

For the blue Reproduction-ish block, the background is from Snowberry by 3 Sisters.  The prints are from Alice's Scrapbag by Barbara Brackman and a couple of "I should have written that down" fabrics.  I remember that they're by Barbara Brackman, Jan Patek and 3 Sisters.  

CLICK HERE for the link to Lisa’s blog and the link to Block 29 – Juneau.

For the Fig Tree & Co. block, the fabrics are from the Farmhouse and Chestnut Street collections and the background is my favorite tiny stars from Liberty Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings.  (I will fix the seam join on that bottom goose-unit.)

Question of the Week ~ Machine-quilting.  Do you ever machine-quilt your own quilts?  If so, do you have any tips to share?

Yes and no.  That means I have been doing a lot of machine-quilting in the past couple of years but it's for small projects - pillows, wall-hangings, bags and pincushions.  I have really enjoyed it but I doubt I will ever quilt anything larger than that.  (Been there, done that... and I was much younger.)

Tips?  I have two - practice and experiment.  As tips go, they're probably not ground-breaking.  Those "aha moments"... I'll leave those to Oprah.

Practice.  As it is with anything - everything - the more I do, the better I'm getting.  That doesn't mean that I don't still mess things up a bit, or need to pull out my seam ripper.  I love a style of machine-quilting that is often referred to as "organic wavy lines" - aka "close enough".  Straight lines have become my preference, and anything I can do with a walking foot.

My favorite recent machine-quilting book is Walk: Master Machine Quilting with Your Walking Foot by Jacquie Gering.  Jacquie is an exceptionally good teacher and author, and the book is beautifully, perfectly done.

I also recommend the books by Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy and Natalia Bonner of Piece 'n Quilt.

Experiment! I like playing with different battings and threads - from 40wt. to Aurifil's 80wt.  For small projects in particular, I can machine-quilt lines that are less than 1/2" apart without overloading the top with thread.  Craft- and Crib-size battings let me experiment with some of the battings I might not have tried yet - Cotton/Wool blend, Silk, etc.  (I love the Cotton/Wool blend.)

Just in case you missed it -CLICK HERE for the link to Lisa’s blog and the link to Block 29 – Juneau.

Don't forget that there is a Blockheads Archive with links to all of the published blocks and blog posts.

That's it for today, September 20.  Be sure to visit Jo, Betsy, Lynne and Jan to see their blocks and what other good things they might have made:

• Lynne’s Blog / Facebook / Website
• Betsy’s Blog / Facebook / Instagram
• Jo’s Blog / Instagram
• Jan’s Blog / Website
• Lisa’s Blog / Website / Instagram

Don’t miss the blocks being posted to #modablockheads on Instagram and Facebook.

If you're not already a member, you can still join the Moda Blockheads Facebook group.  It's a busy group with lots of tips, suggestions and support.

Happy Blockhead Wednesday!